On a redeye flight from Los Angeles to Chicago that landed a couple of hours ago, I found myself sitting next to a very handsome young man (of course, almost everybody looks young to me these days) with a great smile and struck up a conversation. He seemed very intelligent and kind, and also had the air of a serious writer or artist. I asked if he was a writer, and was delighted to find out that he was a reggae musician, though I don’t know much about reggae beyond a couple of CDs I bought a while back. My new acquaintance is known as Mathisyahu, the Jewish reggae star who draws upon his orthodox Jewish background plus some original approaches to music to create his own unique art. One of his songs made the Top 40 in the US a few years ago (King Without a Crown). His real name is Matthew Paul Miller. Read more about him on Wikipedia.

Mathisyahu is performing tonight in Chicago at the Ravinia, where he’ll be on stage for about 45 minutes. Wish I could be there! I’m really intrigued by him and his music now. A very spiritual and interesting man with 3 young sons. Congratulations!

Here’s a sample of his work that struck a chord with me, reflecting his passion for one of the most significant cities on earth, Jerusalem. This was created when he sported a significant beard. He no longer has that, and I personally prefer his current look.